Tesi sul tema "Archaeological archive"

Includes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-131).
This thesis presents the digital amalgamation of eleven collections spanning six decades of archaeological research in the south-western Cape of South Africa.

Begho était la ville la plus peuplée en 1471 lorsque les Portugais sont arrivés sur la Gold Coast. C'était une ville de marché qui entretenait des relations commerciales avec Jenne, dans la région du coude du Niger, puis avec la côte. L'importance de Begho est relatée dans des manuscrits arabes et des documents européens, ainsi que par des récits oraux.Il y a peu d'informations concernant la pratique archéologique, les publications et les rapports de Begho depuis les dernières fouilles en 1979. Certains chercheurs ont problématisé cette situation et l'ont appelée le " mystère de Begho ".En 2017, le projet archéologique à Begho a été initié. Les objectifs de l'étude étaient d'évaluer et d'examiner certains documents d'archives des chercheurs précédents qui ont travaillé à Begho. Identifier et interroger les artefacts de Begho au Musée d'archéologie de l'Université du Ghana et mener une enquête archéologique, des fouilles et des investigations en laboratoire sur les artefacts.Une approche impliquant la collecte de documents et de dossiers d'archives tels que des notes de terrain, des plans de site, des cartes, des illustrations et des photographies à Begho depuis les années 1970 a été examinée. Sur la base de la source de données archivistiques, une recherche et une analyse rigoureuses des matériaux culturels de Begho conservés dans les réserves du musée ont été entreprises. Une enquête détaillée a été menée pour déterminer la taille de cette ancienne ville cosmopolite. Des fouilles archéologiques et l'analyse des matériaux ont également été menées.Cette recherche donne un aperçu de l'utilisation des documents d'archives et des artefacts du musée, qui sont des éléments clés dans la création d'un dépôt archéologique. Les creusets ont révélé des particules d'or et les dates radiocarbone confirment qu'à partir des années 1300, Begho était impliqué dans le commerce régional et à longue distance dans la sous-région ouest-africaine. Cette étude contribuerait à la discussion et à la création d'un dépôt archéologique, à l'archéologie des sociétés de l'âge du fer et des centres urbains au Ghana
Begho was the most populated town in 1471 when the Portuguese came to the Gold Coast. It was a market town which had trade connections with Jenne in the Niger Bend region and subsequently with the coast. Begho’s importance is recorded in Arabic manuscripts and European records and narrated through oral accounts.There is little information regarding the archaeological practice, publications and reports from Begho since the last excavations in 1979. Some scholars have problematized this and termed it the ‘Begho Mystery’.In 2017 the archaeological project at Begho was initiated. The objectives of the study were to assess and examine some archival documents of previous researchers who worked at Begho. To identify and interrogate Begho artefacts at the Museum of Archaeology, University of Ghana and to conduct an archaeological survey, excavations and laboratory investigations of artefacts.An approach involving gathering documentary and archival records such as field notes, site plans, maps, illustrations and photographs at Begho from the 1970s was examined. Based on the archival data source, a rigorous search and analysis of Begho cultural materials kept in Museum storage were undertaken. A detailed survey was conducted to determine the size of this ancient cosmopolitan city. Also, archaeological excavation and analysis of materials were conducted.This research provides insights into using archival records and museum artefacts; which are key components in creating an archaeological repository. Crucibles revealed gold particles and radiocarbon dates further confirm that from the 1300s onwards, Begho was involved in regional and long-distance trade in the West African sub-region. This study would contribute to the discussion and creation of an archaeological repository, the archaeology of Iron Age societies and urban centres in Ghana
Begho war 1471, als die Portugiesen an die Goldküste kamen, die bevölkerungsreichste Stadt. Es war eine Marktstadt, die Handelsbeziehungen mit Jenne in der Niger-Bend-Region und später mit der Küste unterhielt. Die Bedeutung von Begho ist in arabischen Manuskripten und europäischen Aufzeichnungen festgehalten und durch mündliche Überlieferungen belegt.Seit den letzten Ausgrabungen im Jahr 1979 gibt es nur wenige Informationen über die archäologische Praxis, Veröffentlichungen und Berichte aus Begho. Einige Wissenschaftler haben dies problematisiert und als das "Geheimnis von Begho" bezeichnet.Im Jahr 2017 wurde das archäologische Projekt in Begho initiiert. Die Ziele der Studie waren die Auswertung und Untersuchung einiger Archivdokumente früherer Forscher, die am Begho gearbeitet haben. Identifizierung und Befragung von Artefakten aus Begho im Archäologischen Museum der Universität Ghana und Durchführung eines archäologischen Surveys, von Ausgrabungen und Laboruntersuchungen der Artefakte.Ein Ansatz, der das Sammeln von dokumentarischen und archivarischen Aufzeichnungen wie Feldnotizen, Lageplänen, Karten, Illustrationen und Fotografien in Begho aus den 1970er Jahren beinhaltet, wurde untersucht. Auf der Grundlage der archivierten Datenquellen wurde eine gründliche Suche und Analyse der im Museum aufbewahrten kulturellen Materialien von Begho durchgeführt. Eine detaillierte Untersuchung wurde durchgeführt, um die Größe dieser antiken kosmopolitischen Stadt zu bestimmen. Außerdem wurden archäologische Ausgrabungen und Materialanalysen durchgeführt.Diese Forschungsarbeit bietet Einblicke in die Verwendung von Archivunterlagen und Museumsartefakten, die Schlüsselkomponenten bei der Einrichtung eines archäologischen Depots sind. Die in den Tiegeln gefundenen Goldpartikel und die Radiokarbondaten bestätigen, dass Begho ab 1300 in den regionalen und überregionalen Handel in der westafrikanischen Subregion eingebunden war. Diese Studie soll einen Beitrag zur Diskussion und Einrichtung eines archäologischen Fundortes, zur Archäologie der eisenzeitlichen Gesellschaften und städtischen Zentren in Ghana leisten

Archaeological earthworks are being damaged and destroyed at a rate and scale never before seen, which has resulted from increased mechanisation of human activity in the landscape since World War II. Along with natural degradation processes, recording earthwork metrics prior to their loss is increasingly difficult, which can subsequently hinder the interpretation of a site or landscape because of this missing evidence. A tool for regaining such data is vital to alleviate this problem and to fulfil the stipulation for metric information as required by national and international conservation charters. This research investigates whether it is possible to regain earthwork metrics from archive stereo-aerial photographs (SAPs) using digital photogrammetry to create digital surface models (DSMs) of archaeological sites within the UK dating from the 1940s to 2010. A literature search confirmed the utility of SAPs for reconstructing geomorphological events, such as landslides, whilst also verifying that such an approach had not been thoroughly investigated for archaeological adaptation. Via experimentation, a photogrammetric workflow has been designed and a number of variables identified that affect the quality of DSMs obtained from SAPs. The magnitude of these variables has been verified by quantitative assessment using independent survey data, namely Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) gathered by the Environment Agency, and ground-based collection using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). Empirical differences between these independent data and the SAP DSMs were identified using global statistical measures such as Mean Error (ME), Standard Deviation (SD) and root mean square error (RMSE), and spatial autocorrelation techniques, namely Local Moran’s I. Two study sites were selected on which to ascertain whether variations occur in the empirical quality of SAP DSMs and archaeological content at different locations. Over six decades of photography were collected for Flowers Barrow Hillfort, situated near Lulworth in Dorset, UK, which has remained in good condition throughout this period, due to the protection afforded it by inclusion within Ministry of Defence land. Eggardon Hillfort and earthworks, near Bridport in Dorset, UK, were also selected due to the exceptional preservation state of some earthworks, versus the plough-damaged remains of others. These sites thus offered an opportunity to rigorously test the reconstruction capabilities of the SAPs. The results from both study sites confirmed that the metric quality of SAP DSMs improves as the age of the imagery decreases, although this is dependent on image quality, scanner properties (i.e. whether the scanner is photogrammetric or desktop) and the result of the block bundle adjustment in the photogrammetric software. This thesis concludes that SAPs can recreate earthwork metrics and provides a list of considerations for archaeologists to consult when planning the use of SAPs for creating DSMs. Recommendations for future work are provided that encourage the investigation of SAPs from other countries and the rigorous assessment of DSMs derived from structure-from-motion (SfM) software that is rapidly gaining popularity.

This study seeks to explore the dynamics of the rural landscape through the integration of archaeological, ethnographic and archive based analyses. The selected case study is the village of Mitata and its two associated 'hamlets', on the island of Kythera from the 18th to the 20th century. By integrating the three distinct data sets: the physical remains at the hamlets of clusters of field houses or spitakia, the notarial documents and census records from the 18th and 19th century alongside later ethnographic testimony, a picture is built of an ever changing landscape characterised by the flexible strategies designed to cater for the needs and obligations of the basic household economy. The ultimate aims of the household, as the basic economic and production unit within the system, is to achieve a measure of self sufficiency through effective management of its landholdings and to ensure the successful social reproduction through dowry practices that ideally are designed to create a neodomestic household, based upon the nuclear family. The pressures that such social practices and obligations exert upon the household are integral to the way that the landscape is ultimately conceived, used and managed. Various strategies are employed to mitigate the risk and the economic burden that property devolution creates, such as land exchanges and consolidation of holdings through acquisition. All of these strategies are ultimately linked and connected to the wider internal and external village networks as well as engaging with major socio-economic forces of the period. The landscape therefore is as much a social product as it is shaped and transformed by shifting economic trends and changing farming practices.

This thesis recognises the incompleteness of early television history, specifically as it is articulated in media archeological explorations. Through the process of reenactment, a series of tropes, conceits and insights are suggested which oblige us to reappraise the ontology of television. These insights are not by imitation but by a multiplicity of readings in the viewing of a historical act in the present day through a laboratorial media archaeological arts practice. The thesis interrogates a perceived gap in media archaeology’s body of knowledge through creative, playful and experimental practice borne of archival and historical research, developed from the proposition that both contemporary media archaeology and television historiography do not concentrate on how television is and can be used, only on how it has been used. The practical elements of the thesis focus on one of the formative moments, John Logie Baird’s first television drama (in collaboration with the BBC): The Man with the Flower in his Mouth. The thesis draws upon Media Studies and the discipline of Media Archaeology which both suggest that historical fragments have stable readings and meanings, recognising that both miss the crucial aspect of artistic license, playfulness, and that a laboratorial media archaeological approach, aligned to a considered reenactment process can create a televisual arts practice to tease out the hidden and forgotten. This activated historical account through reenactment keeps the theatrical, the cinematic and the teleportation in a simultaneous presence, digging into the past to address present and future television through this televisual arts practice.

This research presented within this PhD thesis sets out to develop new models of social media use for local government affiliated museums that care for archaeological archives (LAMA). The research was conducted in response to an emerging need for these institutions to engage more effectively with stakeholder communities in light of pressures on funding, the diversification of the heritage agenda, and in response to the increasingly community orientated nature of the museum in contemporary Britain. The thesis sets out to characterise and critically review current social media use by local museums and to propose new models of use that are informed by institutional objectives and co-designed with museum stakeholder communities. The findings of the research and the resulting recommendations are based upon an extensive review of sectorial practice, interviews with practitioners from international museums recognised for their exemplary use of social media, and a substantial period of participative action research conducted at a LAMA partner institution; Hampshire Cultural Trust. The thesis proposes that more effective use of social media can aid LAMAs in re-aligning institutional practice so as to incorporate community involvement in interpretation and decision making. The research suggests that new models for social media use have the capacity to recast the role of the local museum in contemporary society as a collaborative, discursive and pluralistic social institution with an integral social function. The primary output of the PhD is a framework which LAMA institutions (as well as other museums with locally derived collections) can use to plan and implement transformative social media practice.

Archaeology is a science that destroys the very evidence it wishes to study. Archaeologists must therefore clearly document all stages of their work. In Canada, legislation dictates that all artefacts recovered from archaeological activity must be deposited in an archaeological repository. In most cases only copies of a final report are required to be submitted to the provincial government department responsible for archaeology. This thesis sought to discover what happens to the documents generated from archaeological activity and whether they are of value to archaeologists. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and surveys, and a review of current literature on archaeological practice. It was found that archaeologists place a high value on the documents they generate during an archaeological project and wish that they be kept in perpetuity; however, a lack of recordkeeping standards and of a relationship based on trust between archaeologists and archaeological repositories has led to poor record keeping practices amongst archaeologists in both academic and consulting environments and few transfers to repositories. The few documents that are transferred to repositories are rarely processed according to archival methodology for preservation and they are not easily accessible to researchers or the public. Thus, this thesis is concluded by a series of recommendations aimed to ensure that the documentary by-products of archaeological activity be maintained and preserved as reliable and authentic evidence of the projects to which they relate.

Il progetto di ricerca iniziato nell’A.A. 2012/13 intende indagare da un lato sulle tecnologie di rilievo e acquisizione di dati spaziali sia bidimensionali che tridimensionali in archeologia e sui rispettivi processi di elaborazione, e dall’altro sulle modalità di erogazione e fruizione del potenziale informativo della documentazione grafica di scavo tramite applicazioni per il web. L’obiettivo principale è quello di colmare un vuoto nelle procedure metodologiche strutturando un workflow completo sulla gestione di dati archeologici, mirato a promuovere la condivisione di informazioni e di esperienze diverse, e dunque di diffondere conoscenza. Pertanto sono state esaminate tecniche di rilievo topografico strumentale che comprendono il laser scanning e la fotogrammetria digitale, effettuando test in contesti e su oggetti diversi: unità stratigrafiche murarie in aree di scavo archeologico, insediamenti rupestri, architetture castrensi, ma anche reperti ceramici. Sono state adottate in seguito procedure di gestione ed elaborazione dei dati in vista di una pubblicazione dei contenuti digitali su web o su altre forme di applicazioni per il grande pubblico. Una volta valutata la fattibilità dei processi di documentazione è stato scelto come caso di studio il sito archeologico di Herdonia, nei pressi dell’attuale Ordona (FG). Questa scelta è motivata da due fattori principali. Innanzitutto la presenza di imponenti rovine, fa di Herdonia il sito ideale per sperimentare le tecnologie di rilievo tridimensionale. La seconda ragione è costituita dalla ricca documentazione di scavo dell’Archivio Mertens, conservata, a partire dal 2004, presso il Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici dell’Università di Foggia. In questo archivio è depositata tutta la conoscenza e la documentazione del sito di Ordona dall’inizio delle ricerche intraprese dall’équipe belga nel 1962 fino ad oggi. Si tratta dunque di 40 anni di ricerche che hanno portato alla scoperta di uno dei siti più grandi dell’Italia meridionale, dalle fasi dell’insediamento daunio, all’installazione della città romana, fino al ridimensionamento dell’abitato in epoca medievale e al definitivo abbandono nel XV secolo. L’archivio costituisce dunque una memoria unica e contiene documenti che sono parte della storia delle ricerche archeologiche, prodotti seguendo metodologie differenti (dallo scavo per lunghe trincee e al metodo Wheeler fino allo scavo per grandi aree) e realizzati usando varie tecniche e tecnologie (dal rilievo diretto a disegni CAD e scansioni 3D). L’idea principale è dunque quella di strutturare un workflow specifico per costruire un ambiente comune all’interno del quale possano coesistere sia i legacy data di scavo che la documentazione grafica digital born. Tuttavia, il problema più grande riscontrato nell’analisi dell’archivio è costituito dalla totale assenza di digitalizzazione dei contenuti, tassello fondamentale per poter condividere dati ed informazioni su Herdonia. È stata individuata come necessità primaria la realizzazione di una mappa della città antica in cui fossero posizionate tutte le aree sottoposte ad indagine stratigrafica, strumento, tuttora assente, indispensabile per una qualsivoglia operazione futura di sistematizzazione di dati. Pertanto sono state acquisite in formato digitale tutte le planimetrie e le sezioni stratigrafiche disegnate dal 1962 fino al 19931, e collocate su base cartografica georeferenziata2 tramite un sistema GIS open source. Dopo aver ordinato e sistemato i dati topografici sono state analizzate le modalità di erogazione verso il pubblico, utilizzando tool e programmi a costo zero e provenienti dal panorama del software libero ed open source. I percorsi di erogazione delle informazioni sono essenzialmente due. Un primo percorso relativo alla fruizione delle mappe di Herdonia tramite strumenti per la pubblicazione sul web, ed un secondo costituito dalla costruzione di un ambiente virtuale in cui possano coesistere modelli fotogrammetrici 3D di resti di alcuni monumenti della città antica e ricostruzioni tridimensionali della stratigrafia individuata in fase di scavo.

This study aims to gain an understanding on how researchers leave their mark on archaeological records and to discuss what this have meant for the production of archaeological knowledge. This was done by studying archival records from two archaeological excavations of boat graves in Valsgärde, which was held in 1936 and 1950. Starting with the relation between creator/researcher and records made the idea was to contribute with a study of the relationship between records and creator. The theories being used for analyzing this was intersectionality combined with Donna Haraways situated knowledges, where created interacting categories in the material was analyzed in relation to each researcher. Both researchers material where further discussed whis this in mind. The main method used was qualitative content analysis, wich were also combined with a quantitative method of the number of records created with the same content. Through these methods interacting categoriers was found in the archaeological documentation. The created interacting categories in one material consisted of documentation of archaeological remains in situ, documentation of single finds and documentation of archaeological stratigraphy. Further three interacting categories of documentation after excavation, of weapons and single finds was found in the same material. In comparision, the other records consisted of interacting categories of documentation of archaeological remains in situ, documentation of the contex of the findings and documentation of archaeological stratigraphy. This showed how the reseachers in the studied records have left their marks on the archaeological documentation of each boat grave. The researches had desicive impact on the produced knowledge that was based on their findings, since the records that were created were created were influenced by each researcher. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

This thesis takes up Terry Cook's idea that through their work, archivists are active shapers rather than passive keepers. In taking this idea further, this thesis discusses case studies comparing the custodial history of the records of four companies that were created in the seventeenth century. Consideration is given to how archival practitioners influenced the arrangement and description of the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), the English East India Company (EIC), the Royal African Company (RAC) and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) during critical periods of their custodial history.

Spanish Indian is a generic term that has been used repeatedly in written documents over the past three centuries to describe a range of different social, ethnic, and economic groups in the southeastern United States. In this thesis, a comparative analysis of the material culture from Cuban fishing ranchos of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries on the west coast of Florida addresses the ways in which specific Spanish Indian artifact assemblages fit into the archaeological record. Three archaeological assemblages from known Rancho sites are detailed and analyzed. In addition, this thesis details a public archaeology project undertaken in conjunction with the Florida Public Archaeology Network, which led to the development of a traveling exhibit and public presentation on the origins of local place names. The thesis also provides suggestions for how historical archaeologists might contend with difficulties in determining and documenting identity at early historical sites in coastal Florida. The research undertaken for this thesis demonstrates a pressing need for additional data collection and research in the field. As it currently stands, however, the preliminary analysis conducted in this thesis indicates an economic basis for cultural interaction and intermarriage rather than an actual cultural synthesis, creolization, or ethnogenesis, which would imply shared cultural systems of belief and meaning. This thesis is also a proposal for a typology of ranchos. Through a cross-comparison of the similarities and differences in subsistence strategies and labor practices, a research design for rancho archaeology is outlined.

The museum life of archaeological artefacts - A biography of the Valsgärde-collection is a two years master ́s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies at Uppsala University in Sweden. It is an object biography of an archaeological collection housed in the university museum Museum Gustavianum in Uppsala. The collection is the result of excavations conducted by Uppsala University in the early 20th century in Valsgärde in Gamla Uppsala parish, Uppland. The aim of the study is to highlight the museum life of archaeological artefacts and relate this to the curation crisis within archaeology, as described in Anglo-American research. Archival material from the museum was examined, using a method inspired by ethnographic content analysis (ECA), in order to write a biography of the curatorial management and use of the collection. The resulting object biography revealed clear signs that the collection had been suffering from problems associated with the curation crisis during its museum life. The perspective offered by the biographical narrative also revealed some long-term issues that resulted in these problems. Both general problems described in research on the curation crisis and issues specific to the Valsgärde-collection is illustrated by this object biography. The study shows that a continuation of the biographies of archaeological artefacts beyond the mere excavation phase offers insights into issues within, as well as possible solutions to, the archaeological curation crisis.
Artefakternas museala liv - En biografi över Valsgärdesamlingen är en objektbiografisk studie över den arkeologiska samlingen från utgrävningarna i Valsgärde, Gamla Uppsala socken, Uppland. Studiens underlag har utgjorts av arkivhandlingar från föremålsarkivet Museum Gustavianum Samlingar (MGS) i Uppsala, där även samlingen förvaltas. Studiens syfte var att förlänga artefakters biografier för att inkludera deras museala liv kan se ut och förhålla det till forskning om samlingsförvaltningskrisen. Dess centrala problematik är att insamlingstakten av arkeologiskt material är för intensiv för att samlings- förvaltning ska hinna med. Resultatet blir att samlingar inte kan förvaltas på ett ansvarsfullt sätt i fråga om bevarande och användande. Studiens metod är inspirerad av etnografisk innehållsanalys (ECA), där datainsamlingen börjat med två huvudkategorier; förvaltning och användande. Inom dessa kategorier har arkivens sammansättning fått styra vilka teman som fått framträda under datainsamlingen. Objektbiografin faller inom forskningstraditionen Material culture studies, vars bärande princip är att materialitet är nödvändig för förståelse av sociala och kulturella skeenden. Objektbiografin erbjuder ett perspektiv som tillåter att kunskap om hur samlingen skapats, behandlats och använts, samt hur dess museala kontext sett ut och hur aktörer förhållit sig till den, kan användas för att förstå ett större fenomen, samlingsförvaltningskrisen. Studiens specifika frågeställningar gällde vad för bild arkiven på MGS kunde erbjuda av användande och förvaltning av samlingen samt hur detta förhåller sig till samlingsförvaltningskrisen. Samlingen har varit föremål för kontinuerligt intresse och användande, trots att den inte blivit fullständigt publicerad eller inventerad. Användandet har bestått av utställning såväl som forskning. Dock har brist på en tidig holistisk finansieringsplan gjort att den utsatts för undermåliga bevarandeförhållanden under sitt museala liv. Ansvariga har i regel varit måna om att ta hand om samlingen och upprepade försök gjordes att färdigställa samlingens bearbetning, men även här förelåg ekonomiska hinder. Arkivens bild av förvaltningen och användandet har tydligt visat att Valsgärde-artefakternas liv inte tog slut då de införlivades i en museisamling. Den övergripande slutsatsen som dragits från studien är att det fyller en funktion att förlänga arkeologiska artefakters biografier för att inkludera deras museala liv, speciellt om man vill komma till rätta med samlingsförvaltningskrisen.

A Research Report submitted to the Department of History of Art, Wits School of the Arts, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (History of Art) (by course work and research report) June 2017
Images of the past survive longer than the theories they were designed originally to support; they linger on in museum displays, as illustrations in archaeologically orientated books, and as part of popular culture (Smiles & Moser 2005: 6). At a time when western audiences grew excited by the news of discoveries and became vicarious armchair explorers, photographers selected subject matter, composed and constructed photographs to meet the audience appetite, document archaeological sites and satisfy their sponsors. When German explorer Leo Frobenius led his 9th expedition 1 to South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique and India from 1928 to 1930, there were photographers in the team (Wintjes 2013: 171,172). On their two visits to Great Zimbabwe, the primary objective of the team’s archaeological photographs may have been to document the monumental stonewalled site, collect archaeological data and illustrate Frobenius’ publications; however, once I started to explore the layers within these photographs as more than just re-presentations of the surface subject matter, the narratives became increasingly interesting and complex. The Frobenius photographs have an immediate striking presence as visual re-presentations of the Great Zimbabwe monumental site. I will demonstrate that, through re-looking, re-seeing and re-making, their content extends beyond continued representation of western epistemological ideology to provide a valuable source of new understandings of Great Zimbabwe at the time the photographs were taken and today. Frobenius may not have planned the layers that I examine but that is not relevant. What matters is that these photographs, much like Smiles & Moser’s anticipation, were produced for an initial purpose but almost ninety years later provide new information (Smiles & Moser 2005:6). [Abbreviated introduction; No abstract]
MT2018

The archive as a site of ‘knowledge retrieval’* has long been the exemplary domain of astute historical inquiry. Following the recent ‘historic turn’* to address the politics of knowledge in the broader human and historical sciences, rather than its function as a site of ‘knowledge retrieval’*, I will reflect on the function of the archive as a site of ‘knowledge production’* in the writing of the histories of ancient Israel. Aligned within the conversations among historians and archivists and the new archival turn, the research will endeavour to offer a contribution to the debate on the topic of historical methodology of ancient Israel in the disciplines of Biblical Archaeology and History of ancient Israel. I will argue that an examination into the function of the archive as historical a priori in a study of the discourses on the Lachish reliefs in the disciplines discloses the practical and theoretical tenets that converge to construct knowledge on the Lachish reliefs and hence also knowledge on ancient Israel. The research will contend that a bounded formation of knowledge on the Lachish reliefs has evolved in the disciplines since the nineteenth century that is along the British imperial archival grain. * Terminology from Stoler, A L 2002. Colonial Archives and the Arts of Governance: On the Content in the Form, in Hamilton C, Harris, V, Taylor, J, Pickover, M, Reid, G & Saleh, R (eds) 2002. Refiguring the Archive. Cape Town: David Philip, 83-102.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
MA (Biblical Archaeology)
1 online resource (xii, 194 leaves) ; illustrations (some color), maps

Archaeological conservation is the process by which conservators prevent deterioration of archaeological remains and provide insight into the nature of recovered material. This thesis examines the effect of digital technology upon the ethics of the conservation profession and upon the attitude of the lay-public towards archaeology. The ethical issues raised by the use of digital technology are discussed, particularly the ways in which these issues differ from those raised by traditional conservation methods. Technological advancements, particularly those occurring in the 20th century, changed the way artifacts are conserved and studied. Conservation arose out of a craft-restoration tradition and evolved into a profession which, in addition to necessary artistic and aesthetic considerations, uses a demonstrable scientific method in order to preserve artifacts. The creation of guidelines for practice and various codes of ethics is the turning point in this evolution, marking the point after which conservation became a scientific profession. Advances in computer technology have permitted the widespread use of devices such as 3-D scanners, digital CT scanners, and digital cameras in the conservation of archaeological artifacts. All of these pieces of equipment produced digital files which must be stored. Currently, the pace of technological change renders most data inaccessible within ten years, and data conservation problems such as storage, access, and file format have not been adequately addressed by the professional conservation community. There is a distinct lack of formal ethical guidelines concerning these issues; this thesis concludes that there is an extreme need for measured consideration before digital methods are used in archaeological conservation. The creation of high-fidelity replicas presents a problem for the museum audience. The public connects with artifacts on an emotional level which is altered when a replica is displayed instead of an original. Digital reconstructions abound in popular culture, heavily influencing public opinion, and often resulting in widespread misperception of the information which can be extracted from archaeological evidence. As a result, conservators of the future must be cautious when creating digital artifacts, and must be meticulously careful to make the nature of digital reconstruction clear to the audience, in order to avoid spreading misinformation.

O inventário no Museu Nacional de Arqueologia (MNA) tem evoluído, desde a sua criação em 1893 e ao longo da sua centenária existência, acompanhando os desenvolvimentos de reflexão e de prática museológicas, mas, tal como numa grande parte dos museus portugueses, são internamente reconhecidos problemas específicos de inventariação e catalogação das suas espécies. Uma renovada abordagem à inventariação de objetos e de sítios arqueológicos, ocorrida por ocasião de uma grande reestruturação espacial nos anos de 1980, a introdução de novas tecnologias – nomeadamente a utilização de software específico para inventário, catalogação e disponibilização de informação em ambiente web –, a contribuição técnica do MNA para a publicação do volume das Normas de Inventário, publicadas pelo então Instituto Português de Museus, dedicado à Arqueologia, são aspetos a destacar na melhoria de procedimentos de documentação e na gestão das suas coleções. Ainda decorrente da sua centenária história, o MNA possui diversos arquivos documentais que contêm informação essencial para uma melhor contextualização, e por isso entendimento, das suas coleções arqueológicas, que se constituem como documentos históricos. Estes arquivos encontram-se ainda por tratar de forma sistemática, verificando-se que em diversos casos não se encontram catalogados em bases de dados informatizadas, seja para uso interno ou do público, nomeadamente investigadores interessados em estudar as suas coleções arqueológicas, carecendo o MNA de um sistema integrado que faça a relação entre os objetos das suas coleções e o espólio arquivístico, sem o qual se incorre em risco de lacuna, e até mesmo perda, de informação. Este trabalho é um contributo por modo a sistematizar e uniformizar a informação existente no MNA centrada nas suas coleções arqueológicas, e numa melhor organização e mais eficiente gestão das mesmas. Deste modo, procede-se à análise e reflexão sobre a situação atual do MNA, comparando, na medida do possível, com sistemas adotados por instituições e museus de semelhante temática, por forma a apresentar um primeiro contributo para o desenvolvimento da inventariação, catalogação e documentação no museu em foco.
The inventory at the National Archaeological Museum (MNA) has evolved since its creation in 1893 and throughout its centenary existence, following the developments of museological reflection and practice, but, as it happens with many Portuguese museums, specific problems are recognized concerning the inventory and cataloguing of its collection. A renewed approach to the inventory of objects and archaeological sites, that took place during a major spatial restructuring in the 1980s, the introduction of new technologies – namely the use of specific software for inventory, cataloguing and to provide information on the internet –, the MNA's technical contribution to the edition of a volume on inventory standards for archaeological objects, published by the then Portuguese Institute of Museums, are aspects worthy of highlight on the improvement of procedures concerning the documentation and management of its collections. Due to its centenary history, the MNA has several archives that contain essential information for a better contextualization, and therefore understanding, of its archaeological collections, which are considered as historical documents. These archives, however, are still waiting to be dealt with in a systematic way, and in many cases they are not yet catalogued in computerized databases, either for internal or public use, specifically researchers interested in studying archaeological collections, with MNA lacking an integrated system able to establish relations between the objects of its collections and its archives, without which there is a risk of a knowledge gap and even loss of information. This work aims to systematize and standardize the existing information at MNA focused on its archaeological collections, and to better organize and more efficiently manage them. Therefore, it proceeds to analyse and reflect on the current situation of the MNA, and compare, as far as possible, with systems adopted by institutions and museums of similar theme, and thus present an initial contribution to the development of inventory, cataloguing and documentation at the museum in focus.